Princeton Computer to Save Energy

PRINCETON, N.J.--Princeton University has installed a $3.4 million computerized monitoring system that regulates temperatures and energy use in 40 buildings and is expected to save $600,000 to $700,000 annually in reduced energy costs.

The system allows a technician, sitting behind a computer console, to switch heaters or fans on or off if a room temperature deviates from the 65-degree winter temperature recommended by the federal government.

"Before we had the computer the units within these buildings operated primarily on time clocks," Hugh W. Smith, systems operator, said recently. "And if you wanted to change the setting it meant a long walk around the campus," he added.